China unveils new open-source operating system: reducing reliance on US technology

China’s first open-source desktop operating system, OpenKylin 1.0, was unveiled on 5 July, marking a significant milestone in the development of autonomous system software.

The OpenKylin community is an open-source community comprised of various entities such as software and hardware enterprises, non-profits, research and academic institutions, and individual developers. It operates on the principles of open source, voluntariness, equality, and cooperation. As stated on the OS’s official website, this Linux-derived OS was created collaboratively by a community consisting of 4,032 developers, 74 special interest groups, and 271 enterprises.

The openKylin app store offers some 1,000 third-party software options, including the popular WPS Office and WeChat, to meet various customer demands in terms of work, life, entertainment and programming, according to Kylinsoft, the company that developed openKylin.

In recent years, China’s technology industry has actively pursued the objective of creating an operating system that is free from reliance on Western and US technology while developing their independent output – from geopolitical tensions over cybersecurity to the EU’s reticence towards China or new urban innovation networks.

To this end, numerous companies and organisations have played a significant role in advancing the OpenKylin system. The China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stands out as one of the prominent supporters of this initiative.